Wood stoves have, of course, been used for centuries. In recent months there has been renewed interest in this type of heating means since the costs of other types of fuels, such as oil and natural gas, have risen considerably. Several types of stoves are now marketed and they are effective in varying degrees in heating the air in their vicinity. One aspect of combustion that has been largely neglected is the control of the delivery of air to the combustion chamber. As a result, air is directed to localized areas of the chamber in amounts that are only roughly controlled and, therefore, the fuel burns irregularly and nonuniformly and different parts of the stove become hotter than other parts. Since stoves heat the surrounding air chiefly by radiation, a stove that has been unevenly heated by the fuel will provide uneven, undesirable heating of the area where it is located.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a stove in which air is delivered relatively uniformly to the fuel and which has means for selectively controlling the delivery of air to different areas of the fuel.